WASP STING
Four off injured but late penalty try sinks Bath
Bath 23 Wasps 27
WASPS lost four men to injury before half-time, but still ended Bath’s unbeaten run since the restart.
Their remarkable backs-to-thewall effort saw the winning score delivered five minutes from time through a penalty try from a lineout drive – despite having no hooker left to throw the ball in.
Wasps used part-time volunteers in Dan Robson and Simon McIntyre, whose first attempt went so far awry that intended recipient James Gaskell burst out laughing.
But when it counted, the prop hit the mark then helped rumble a maul all the way to the Bath line. Sam Underhill intervened illegally to prevent the inevitable, was sinbinned and a penalty try was awarded by referee Wayne Barnes.
Wasps head coach Lee Blackett said: “If both hookers are off we use Thomas Young to throw in, but he was off injured too. Simon got the short straw and fair play to him, he has added a bit to his contract.” In a memorable contest, which saw assistant referee Sara Cox (left) become the first woman to officiate at a Premiership match, Tommy
Taylor (ankle), his replacement Gabriel Oghre (concussion),
Young (concussion) and Lima Sopoaga (hamstring) all went off. The match had to be played with uncontested scrums for 45 minutes.
Wasps clawed their way back from 13-0 down after Ruaridh McConnochie’s early try to go into the final quarter with a three-point lead as Jacob Umaga finished off a clever prompt from Robson and prop Tom West went over. Jack Walker regained the lead for Bath from a lineout drive, but Wasps replied in kind to pull off an unlikely win.
Bath: Tries: McConnochie, Walker. Cons: Priestland (2). Pens: Priestland (3).
Wasps: Tries: Umaga, West. Penalty try. Cons: Umaga (2). Pens: Sopoaga, Umaga.